Welcome Sumner Weldon to SoulCycle NorCal

Welcome Sumner Weldon to SoulCycle NorCal

It's no secret that when I can snag 45m-60m away from the gym I love a good SoulCycle class. When I stumbled into Sumner Weldon's class recently I knew I hit gold. Her energy is awesome and her class is a solid workout. She includes some really awesome stretches and mobility drills after the weights section that no other instructors are doing and are MUCH needed for today's rider. So I was thrilled to connect with her after class to learn more about her.

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The Best Stretches to Help with Back and Hip Pain

The Best Stretches to Help with Back and Hip Pain

Lower back and hip pain is incredibly common thanks to the hours and hours we spend sitting and toiling away on computers and devices. Finding the right stretches, mobility drills and strengthening exercises that will help reset your body and spending a few minutes each day consistently performing them can help keep you pain free and tracking toward your fitness goals. If lower back and hip aches and pains are slowing you down, give these exercises a try. 

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JJFit 2018 Workout Mix

JJFit 2018 Workout Mix

I've compiled over 100 of my favorite workout songs from my Body Challenge class and personal playlists into one master 2018 mix on Spotify. Here's the link. Enjoy! And if you have a song you'd like to add, please email me the Spotify link and I"ll keep the mix growing! 

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Everything You Should Never Do in the Gym Locker Room

Everything You Should Never Do in the Gym Locker Room

Thanks to my friends at the Dollar Shave Club for this cheeky interview on what to do (and not do) with your junk in the locker room. I can’t believe I have to explain these things to people.

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Introducing JJ's Guide to Eating Clean and Getting Lean

Introducing JJ's Guide to Eating Clean and Getting Lean

This has been a year in the making and I'm stoked to launch my first e-book: JJ's Guide to Eating Clean and Getting Lean. In this guide, I’ll provide you with a framework and tools for eating to your body composition goals that will still allow you to enjoy your life. My coaching methods have helped hundreds of clients reduce their body fat, get strong and become healthier and more energetic. Ditch the diets and learn a practical and effective way to approach eating for safe, long-term results. On sale now for $4.99. www.JJ-Fit.com/guide.

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Here’s Where You’ll Be Hurting After Starting to Work Out Again

Here’s Where You’ll Be Hurting After Starting to Work Out Again

Thanks to my pal Andrew Fiouzi for including me in this feature in MEL Magazine on how you can avoid unnecessary pain from your workouts. It’s a new year and perhaps you’re like the millions of other people around the world dedicated to finally getting, like, totally ripped, brah. What this means in practical terms is that if you haven’t worked out since fourth-grade gym class, you’re going to be hurting in a lot of new and interesting places this month. But what kind of pain does your journey to You 2.0 (or 1.1) have in store? Jonathan Jordan, an award-winning trainer, explains how each type of workout will hurt, and how to heal more quickly.

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If You're Too Busy to Follow This Advice, You Should Follow This Advice.

If You're Too Busy to Follow This Advice, You Should Follow This Advice.

My awesome editor at Law.com gets the credit for this headline but the tips are all mine. Not a Bunch of Hooey: Stress-Management Techniques for Lawyers (link to full article and PDF). Check out these practical and effective stress management tips that can improve your health (and productivity) in as little as one minute/day. Lawyers, and anyone stressed and stuck at a desk, can benefit from this scientifically proven advice. 

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De-stressing After a Hectic Holiday Season

De-stressing After a Hectic Holiday Season

Adults young and old know the holiday season presents an exhausting array of physical and emotional demands that, for many, can bring about lingering stress and anxiety. If you’re still dealing with holiday-related stress and anxiety into the new year, it’s important to take steps to de-stress. Reducing stress after the holidays can help ensure your mind and body are in the right state to stay healthy and cultivate good habits for self care. Check out my interview with ConsumerAffairs.com for tips on How to Relax and Unwind After the Holidays

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Join the Battle. Let's Beat Rare Cancers.

Join the Battle. Let's Beat Rare Cancers.

In February I'm riding for Cycle for Survival for the third year in a row to help end various rare cancers. Cancer affects us all and together we can make an impact. Please consider helping if you can. Even $1 helps and 100% goes to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Click here to donate. 

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10 Simple Ways to Reduce Chronic Stress for Improved Fitness

10 Simple Ways to Reduce Chronic Stress for Improved Fitness

Thanks to today's fast-paced, technology-centric world coupled with sedentary lifestyles, we are bombarded constantly with low and high levels of mental, physical, emotional and physiological stress. These chronic stresses are inhibiting our bodies' natural self-repair mechanisms that fix broken proteins, kill cancer cells, retard aging and fight infections. We are the most overweight, under active generation in history existing on diets of processed foods and suffering from damaging mindsets. In this post I'll explore some practical, scientifically proven methods for reducing stress that can take as little as one minute/day. 

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Building a Solid Leg Day/Leg Week

Building a Solid Leg Day/Leg Week

I love leg day. As someone who has struggled with his weight and suffered through back injuries, having strong legs and executing powerful squats and deadlifts makes me feel good and working the big muscles of the lower body keeps me lean. But I get that a lot of folks dread leg day. In today's post I'll show you how to build a balanced leg workout whether your goal is general fitness, weight loss, hypertrophy/muscle growth or strength. 

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3 Overrated Weight-Loss Tips You Need to Stop Following

3 Overrated Weight-Loss Tips You Need to Stop Following

When it comes to losing weight, there are things we’ve been told over and over again. While certain things hold true (calories matter, interval training works and deprivation doesn’t), there are other long-held beliefs that recent research has shown to be a little iffy. In some cases, things we’ve always thought to be true about weight loss have turned out to either be wrong or vastly oversimplified. I was honored to be asked by Moira Lawler to shed some light on some of these topics for her article on LiveStrong.com where we dive into three common misconceptions and explore what the latest research says. Spoiler: There’s still no magic bullet when it comes to losing weight.

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Meal Delivery Recommendations: Fuel and Farm Hill

Meal Delivery Recommendations: Fuel and Farm Hill

Many of my clients and followers want to eat healthy and are trying to make changes to their diets to reduce body fat or gain muscle mass. While your exercise program is key to eliciting physical changes, your nutrition is equally as important. I cater to busy professionals and often they just don't have time to grocery shop and meal prep. They prefer to outsource cooking but want to make sure they are getting nutritious and tasty meals that fit their caloric and macronutrient needs. These are my two favorite meal deliver services that won't disappoint.

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Expert Spotlight: Dr. Brad Bailey of SF Custom Chiropractic

Expert Spotlight: Dr. Brad Bailey of SF Custom Chiropractic

I am regularly asked who I trust for chiropractic and soft tissue work. For many years I've worked with the amazing team at SF Custom Chiropractic (SFCC) led by Dr. Adam Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs and his wunderkind associate Dr. Brad Bailey have not only helped me, but have helped dozens of my clients achieve pain free movement, better range of motion and structural symmetry though an integrative approach that includes soft tissue work like ART, chiropractic adjustments, clinical massage and kinesiotaping. They have become my trusted partners for my own body and the bodies of my clients and we often collaborate together to ensure treatment and training programs are aligned. 

 

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How This Husband-To-Be Changed His Internal Dialogue to Get Fit

How This Husband-To-Be Changed His Internal Dialogue to Get Fit

Thanks to the loving encouragement of his fiancé, a passion for outdoor cycling and the occasional nudge from yours truly, my client Alejandro has made incredible strides on his bike, in the gym and in the kitchen this year. His efforts have not only improved his physique, but also improved his health, energy levels and mental outlook. In this post he discusses what changes he had to make to shift his mindset and what keeps him going when the snooze button beacons or the hills get steep. 

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What We Can Learn from Metabolic Testing

What We Can Learn from Metabolic Testing

I'm a big fan of knowing what's going on with my body. And if there are simple, affordable tests I can take that can give me useful, actionable data to improve my health and inform my fitness program I'm all for it. So I recently engaged a local office of DexaFit to obtain a Dexa Scan Body Composition Analysis, RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) Test, V02 Max Test and  Fit3D Posture Scan. In this post I outline what I learned from these tests and how I am applying that knowledge to optimize my fitness program. I've also included links to my full reports and photos from my experience to help you decide if similar testing makes sense for you.

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Looking for Fresh Exercise Ideas and Demos? Checkout #jjfit247exerciselibrary on Instagram

Looking for Fresh Exercise Ideas and Demos? Checkout #jjfit247exerciselibrary on Instagram

Each week I post a variety of barbell, dumbbell, cable, resistance band and bodyweight strength, stability and mobility exercises to my Instagram account under the hashtag #jjfit247exerciselibrary. If you are looking for fresh exercise ideas to try in your own workouts, form tips and demos, be sure to follow me. And don't hesitate to comment with questions or your own variations. 

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SF's Top Swim Coaches Share Their Tips for a Better Stroke

SF's Top Swim Coaches Share Their Tips for a Better Stroke

Swimming can be one of the safest and most effective forms of cardio. Whether you are trying to lean out or to get stronger, swimming is easy on the joints, scalable to your goals and an excellent way to connect your brain, breath and body. But it can be a big drag (literally) if your stroke or breath are off. Michael Bonella, Claire Love and Megan Nazareno are three of San Francisco's top swim coaches and personal trainers. I asked them "What is the most common issue you encounter with form and how do you help your clients through it?" 

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